Partition



Sept. 24, 1929. c. GORDEE 1,729,439

PARTITION- Filed April 21. 192e Patented Sept. 24, 1929 PATENT OFFICE CHARLES GORDE, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS PARTITION Application led April 21,

This invention relates to a vertical partition. in a building, the partition including a vertical frame and facings of wallboard scoured to the frame.

The chief object of the invention is to pro vide a partition frame composed of sheet metal members adapted to be assembled and secured between vertical walls between which the partition extends, and to extendbetween the floor and ceiling of a room, said members forming seats for sheets or sections of wallboard constituting the partition facings, and being provided with means for engaging fas teners securing the wallboard sections to the frame.

Other objects will hereinafter appear.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specilicatiom- Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing a partition embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View, showing a portion of a vertical wall, and a portion of one of the wall members of the partition attached to the wall.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing a portion of the yceiling member of the partition.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View, showing a portion of a wall, a portion of the partition frame, and portions of two wallboard sections attached to the frame.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section, showing a portion of the frame and por-- tions of wallboard sections attached thereto.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 6-*6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing outer facings of plastic material formed on the wallboard sections.

Figure 8 is an enlargement of a portion of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section on line 9-9 of Figure 4.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

lThe frame of my invention is composed of sheet metal members, preferably sheet steel, adapted to be assembled between vertical walls a, a, as shown by Figures 2, 4, 5 and 7,

1928. Serial N0. 271,793.

and between a Hoor Z) and a ceiling c as shown by Figure 6.

The frame includes two vertical wall members constituting' the opposite ends of the frame. The wall members are pressed from sheet metal and each includes a central portion 12, having oppositely facing abutment shoulders 13, at opposite edges of the central portion, and attaching flanges 14, projecting from said shoulders and arranged to bear on the walls c, said flanges being attachable to the walls by fasteners 16 (Figures 2 and 4). The central portions 12 are offset from the walls L by the shoulders 13.

17 designates a floor member adapted to bear on a floor Z2, and extending between the lower ends of the wall members, the ends of the floor member being interposed between the lower ends of the offset portions 12 of the wall members and the floor, and held against the floor by said offset portions. rThe floor member constitutes the lower end of the frame, and is pressed from sheet metal to form upwardly projecting flanges 18, overlapping the lower ends of the abutment shoulders 13. 19 designates a ceiling member, adapted to bear on a ceiling c, and extending between the upper ends of the wall members, the ends of the ceiling member being interposed between the upper "ends of the offset portions 12 of the wall members and the ceil ing, and held against the ceiling by said offset portions. The ceiling member constitutes the upper end of the frame, and is pressed from sheet metal to form downwardly pro` j ecting lian ges 20, overlapping the upper ends of the abutment shoulders 13. The offset portions 12 of the wall members constitute struts interposed between the floor and ceiling members and confining the same respectively against the floor and ceiling.

Extending vertically between the floor and ceiling members are spaced apart hollow sheet metal studs 21, interposed at their ends between the flanges of the floor members 17 Vand the ceiling member 19, the flanges of the floor and ceiling members overlapping portions of the ends of the stud members.

The abutment shoulders 13 of the wall members, the flanges 18 and 20 of the floor and ceiling members, and opposite side portions of the stud members 21, constitute gridshaped seats for sections or sheets 22 of wallboard constituting the facings of the. completed partition. Said seats are provided with mea-ns such as orifices 28, adapted to engage fasteners 24e, securing the wallboard sections to the frame, each fastener being preferably a screw, formed as shown by Figure 9, the orifices 2 8 being tapped to engage the threads ofthe screws. The wallboard sections thus attached rigidly connect the frame members, so that it is not necessary to fasten the floor and ceiling members to the iioor and ceiling, and the stud members tothe floor and ceiling members, the partition as a whole being sufliciently secured by the fastenings 16 attaching the lianges 14 of the wall members to the walls, ei, e., and by the fastenings 2li, attaching the wallboard sections to the frame. lt is obvious, however, that the flanges 18 and 20 of the floor and ceiling members may be fixed to the abutment shoulders 13 of the wall members, and to the stud members 21, as by screws, 24@ (Figure 1).

lt will be seen that a partition may be quickly erected by securing the. flanges 14 of the wall members to the walls a, a, locating the floor and ceiling members below and above the offset portions 12 of the wall members, locating the stud members between the 'floor and ceiling members, and securing the wallboard sections to the seats formed by the frame.

The wall members 12 are slightly shorter than the distance between the Hoor and ceiling of the structure in which the partition is erected, so that when the wall members are attached to two opposite walls between which the partition is to extend, the lower and upper ends of said members are spaced from the floor and ceiling by lower and upper crevices receiving the ends of the floor member 17 and the ends of the ceiling member 19. rllhe floor member'", therefore, bears on, and is held down upon the floor by the lower ends of the wall members, and the ceiling member bears on, and is supported by the upper ends of the wall members as indicated by Figure 1.

The completed partition may include outer surfacing layers 26 (Figure 7) of plaster applied in a plastic condition to the wallboard sections and covering the adjacent edges thereof. Said edges may be spaced apart, as indicated at 27 (Figure 8),' and some of the plastic material may be forced into the crevice thus formed, and through orifices 28 formed in the faces of the stud members 21, on which the adj acent edges of the wallboard sections bear. The plastic material entering the orifices 28, forms anchoring members 29 on the inner surface of thestud member, as

l best shown by Figure 8.

The orifices 28 may be employed in a partition not provided with the outer facings 26,

as indicated by Figure 4, the anchoring members 29 serving to secure plastic fillings inserted in the crevices between adjacent ends of the wallboard sections.

It will be seen that the abutment shoulders 18, the flanges 18 and 2O of the tloor and ceiling members, and opposite sides of the stud members 21, are seat portions collectively constituting the seats on which the wallboard sections bear, each of said seat portions being provided with fastener-engaging means, so that when the wallboard sections are attached, they rigidly connect the frame members.

l claim:

A partition frame composed of sheet metal members, and adapted to be erected in a vertical position between two opposite vertical walls, floor, and a ceiling, said frame comprising two vertical wall members including central portions, oppositely facing abutment shoulders at opposite edges of the central perions and attaching flanges projecting fre-m said shoulders and fastened to the walls, the ends of the wall members being spaced from the floor and ceiling, by lower and upper crevices, a horizontal floor member ii'iscrted at its ends in the lower crevices, and having flanges attached to the lower ends of the abutment shoulders of the wall members, a horizontal ceiling member inserted at its ends in the upper crevices, and having ianges attached to the upper ends of said abutment shoulders, and vert-ical hollow studs bearing at their ends on the floor and ceiling members between the flanges thereof, and attached to, and laterally confined by said flanges, the said abutment shoulders, the flanges, and opposite sides of the studs constituting gridshaped seats at opposite side of the frame for wall board section, having means for engaging fasteners for said sections, the frame being confined in its operative position wholly by fastenings securing the wall members to the wall, and by the bearing of the fioor and ceiling members on the floor and ceiling.

ln testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

CHARLES GORDE. 

